Book-holder



LA VERNE'W. NOYES. 1

BQOK HOLDER.

Patented Feb. 3, 1885.

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LA VERNE WV. NOYES, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BOOK-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 311.51%, dated February 3%, 1885. Application filed March 20, 1883. (Model.)

T0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LA VERNE W. Novns, a citizen of the United States, residing atOhicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Book-Holders, which are fully set forth in the annexed and following drawings and specification in such manner that any one familiar with the art to which they pertain can from such specification read ily make and use the same.

My invention is designed to be applied to book-holders which are adapted to be fastened to the edge of a table or other fixed support, and to be adjusted by a rotary horizontal movement, and also by an angular movement in a vertical plane; and it consists in certain details of construction, as follows: in providing as the leaf-fingers a hinge closed by a spring at its joint, one leaf or branch of which is pivoted freely behind the book, the other leaf or branch of which constitutes or bears the said fingers, thejoint of said hinge being substantially midway between the point at which it is pivoted behind the book, as described, and the point at which said fingers rest upon the leaves in front; in providing said leaf-fingers, made of one piece of wire or similar material, with a finger-loop, substantially midway between them, for lifting them off theleaf; inapeculiar form of saddle,whieh, together with a vertical disk, constitutes means by which the vertical angular adjustments of the book-rest are accomplished.

Figure 1 shows a direct projection, seen from the front, of my book-holder, with the book shown in its place thereon, dotted outlines showing the parts of book-holder concealed from view by the book. Fig. 2 shows a direct projection of the same, as seen from the edge, with the leaf-fingers resting upon the open page, as shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view similar to that in Fig. 2, the leaf fingers being shown resting upon the edge of the book-holder instead of upon the leaf, as in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a sectional View of the shank containing the socket by means of which the horizontal rotary movement is eifected. Fig. 5 is an edge elevation showing the book-sup port,with its cover-fingers,and also the springleaf fingers, attached, Fig. 6 is a direct front elevation of the same parts, except that the spring-leaf fingers are cut off, showing only the end by which they are attached to the remaining parts. Fig. 7 is a view of the same parts shown in Fig. 5, as projected upon a plane at right angles to and intersecting in the dotted line as 7/-bh6 plane of that figure. Fig. 8 is a blank from which, by folding, I form a saddle, shown in its completed form in Fig. 9, which is an edge view.

A is a clamp designed to be fastened to a desk or table by the clamp-screw A. It terminates upward in the spindle a, which enters the socket a in the shank b, which terminates above in the vertical disk 0, having the edge notches, c, and astride of which the saddle D rests, being pivoted to it at the point (P. This saddle has the notch d, in which plays the spring-catch d, which, ec-operating with the notches c on the edge of the disk 0, serves to fix the book-support at any desired inclination. This saddle D is formed fromthe blank D by folding at the dotted lines (1*, carrying the two cars toward each other, the resulting form being shown in the edge view, Fig. 9. To this saddle is pivoted at point d the spring-fingers, more fully described hereinafter.

E is a book-support comprising thebookshell and the saddle D above described, the two being rigidly joined together,as hereinafter described. The book-shelf may be formed in any desired outline, of wire or similar material, but in whatever form, composed, preferably, of two wings, Fl, connected by the in curved or depressed neck E The lower edge of each wing is provided with a coverfinger, H, which is preferably formed, as shown,

of one piece with the said wing E, by forming upon the lower edge of each wing a dependent loop of the wire and then folding that loop upward and forward,so as to rest nearly against the win leaving space only sufficient to insert the edge of abook-cover. I so form this book-shelf, with its connected cover-fingers, that the two ends of the wire of which it is formed meet, as shown, in the center, and are there bent so as to lie side by side a short distance. By this means I am able to attach the book-holder securely to the saddle D, which I do by sawing thin slots in the position indicated by the dotted lines, which are sawn in from the back of thebook-holder, be-

ing of the width equal to the thickness of the sheet metal employed in making the saddle D, the edges of which, being the lower edge of the blank shown in Fig. 8, are inserted into these slots and there securely soldered, so retainin g the end of the wires securely together, and at the same time securing the entire device to the saddle and its support.

M is the leaf-holding device, which is substantially a hinge having the two leaves or branches M and M, hinged at the point n, at which point one or the other of them is formed into a spring, N, so coiled as to tend to fold the hinge together, or this spring may be a separate piece. One branch, M, is pivoted loosely at the point (1 to the saddle D. The other branch, M preferably formed with the expanding curve, is further expanded later-' ally into the two leaf-fingers m, which extend outward from the center,one to the right and the other to the left,to rest upon and hold the two exposed leaves of the open book, the .wire between them and connecting them being curved upward, forming the finger-loop I, the purpose of which is to enable the reader with one finger, and by an easy movement, to release both'leaves of the open book from the retaining-pressure of the leaf-fingers m.

The operation of my device will be sufficiently understood from the foregoing description of the parts and their respective functions and relations, but I will further describe it more particularly. The device is fastened into place by being clamped upon the edge of any table or upon the arm of a chair. The book is designed to be placed upon the bookshelf'E, the cover S being passed under the cover-fingers H at the lower edge. The back of the book will fall between the two wings E E of the book-shelf, lying in the depression of the neck E", which is designed to be sufficientl y deep to accommodate the back of any book which the book-holder is strong enough to sustain. Stiftbacked books particularly require this space in order that the covers may lie fiat upon the supports provided for them, and the book be held steadily in place without straining or crushing the back. The leaf-holding device,being lifted by the thumb or finger inserted in the loop I, is brought forward into the position shown in Fig. 1, the leaf-fingers m resting upon the exposed leaves of the open book. WVhen it becomes necessary to turn a leaf, both leaf -fi ngers are lifted at once and sprung down clear of the book, the operator taking hold of the loop I. The leaf having been turned to the desired point, the leaf-fingers may be again replaced upon the open page. The book-shelf may be placed inclined at any desired angle, and there secured by means of the spring-catch diwhich is readilyreached by the finger placed behind the book, and lifted out of the notch 0, playing in the slot (Z of the saddle D. Horizontal rotary motion is effected about the spindle a,

no fastening being needed to retain the holder in any position, though a set-screw may be provided, if desired.

The advantage of the form of my leaf-holding device-via, the hinge nconsists in that its point of attachment to the saddle D, being directly back of the point at which the fingers m are needed to rest upon the leaf, and that the spring which closes the hinge, and thereby produces the pressure which retains the leaf, is midway between these two pointsviz., the fulcrum d and the point of contact of the fingers m with the leaf-the pressure thus brought to bear upon the leaf is directthat is to say, at right angles with the plane upon which its actsand that this is the case whatever the thickness of the book and however wide the resulting spread of the hinge. Thus there is no tendency of the leaffingers either to slip off the leaf or to drag the leaf.

The advantage of connecting the leaffingers at the middle of the book, instead of having them, as has heretofore been usual, reaching in from the edge of the leaf, is that thereby it is impossible for the leaf to escape from under the pressure of the finger, however light that pressure may be, and that, therefore, the pressure need not be so great, and the consequent strain upon the leaf is made less than when the finger reaches in over the edge of the leaf.

I claim as my invention- 7 1. In a book -holder, in combination with the book support, a leafholder pivoted by one end to the book-support, and having the other end, which rests upon the book, expanded into the laterally-extending leaf-finger m, and having the finger-loop I, intermediate between said leaf -finger and integral therewith, substantially as set forth.

2. In a book -holder, in combination with the book=support and the vertical supportingstem, the disk 0, and, closely embracing it, the saddle D, secured, the one to the booksupport and the other to the supporting-stem, and pivoted together at the center of the disk, and a releasable retaining piece connecting said disk and saddle elsewhere than at said pivot, substantially as set forth.

3. In a book-holder, in combination, the

notched disk 0, the saddle D, pivoted thereto and having its two side wings closely embracing the disk, and the spring-catch (1 secured to the saddle and engaging the notches of the disk.

4. In a book holder, in combination, the book shelf E, formed of a single continuous piece of wire having the ends contiguous, and

provided with the parallel groove and the saddle D, formed of one continuous piece of sheet metal, having the edges of its wings E parallel, the shelf M and the saddle D being united by securing the said parallel edges of the latter in the said parallel groove of the former.

5. In a book-holder, in combination with the book-support, a leafholder jointed midway between its ends, pivoted freely by one In testimony that I claim the foregoing as 10 end to the book-support,in the rear ofthe shelf my invention I have hereunto set my hand, in thereof, provided with a spring to flex the the presence of two witnesses, this 17th day of joint in direction to embrace the edge of the March, 1883.

5 book-shelf in the angle between the two n1em- T 4 bers of said leafholder, whereby the book LA VERBE NOYES upon the book-support may be embraced be- Attest: tween the members of the leaf -holder, sub- J AS. T. HOYNE, stantially as set forth. OHAs. S. BURTON.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 311,514, granted February 3, 1885,

upon the application of La Verne ,W. Noyes, of Chicago, Illinois, for an improvement in Book-Holders, errors appear in the printed specification requiring correction, as

follows: In line 122, page 2, the reference letter E should be omitted; in line 127, same page, the reference letter M should be omitted; in line 129, same page, the

Word groove should read grooves and that the Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein to make the same conform .to the record of the ease in the Patent Office.

Signed, countersigned, and sealed this 21st day of July, A. D. 1885.

[SEAL] I H; L. MULDROW,

- Acting Secretary of the Interior.

in Letters Patent No. 311,514.

Gountersigned M. V. MONTGOMERY,

Commissioner of Patents. 

